


marriage and a wonderland

by strawberryklance



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Centaurs, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Getting Together, Humor, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), goals honestly, the planet doesnt have genders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-02-20 11:29:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13145745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryklance/pseuds/strawberryklance
Summary: Keith never thought he would be getting married by accident at eighteen years old, but lots of things happen when you spend too much time with Lance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: a brief mention of child abuse!! VERY BRIEF! It's the sentence that starts with "How good his first foster home seemed". It's only in that sentence but yeah thought I should give a warning just in case

Trying to get by in team Voltron can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, especially when facing diplomatic missions that require learning the culture and how to be respectful.

Keith finds new cultures interesting. The problem is that, most of the time, this vital information about mannerisms and customs is fired at them in one long speech about thirty minutes before they land, leaving them no time to remember everything. It has gotten them in trouble before, and it will, without a doubt, happen again. And Keith does try his best, but at some point listening intently for so long becomes exhausting and he zones out involuntarily.

He sighs quietly, leaning back against the wall of the castleship as Coran goes over some basic body language and customs on the highly respected planet Wosqnia. Keith tries to tune back in, but fails when he feels a slight poke to his side. He turns to Lance with what he wants to be a stern look, but only ends up smiling when he sees the origami Pikachu his friend is proudly holding.

“What the fuck, Lance,” he whispers, chuckling under his breath.

“Isn’t it cool? I just learned this a couple days ago,” Lance whispers back.

“We should be listening to Coran.”

“Well, it’s too late now, isn’t it?”

Keith glances back at Coran, just in time to hear him say: “And remember to have fun! This is a serious mission, but there should be no fighting if everything goes as planned! Make some friends!”

The team begins to file out of the room to get changed. Keith catches a glimpse of Pidge muttering the rules to herself when she walks by and thanks whoever is out there that someone will know how to behave.

“I wonder what the Wosqnians look like,” Lance says.

“I think they’re kind of like centaurs,” Keith says thoughtfully, trying to recall what Pidge found out about the planet earlier that day. “Pidge explained that their lower body has four legs and a tail and that their upper body is similar to ours.”

Lance’s eyes light up in excitement. Keith tries not to do something stupid, like lean in closer and giggle at the cute look on his face. “Centaurs are so cool! I can’t believe we’re going to meet them!”

“They’re not centaurs, Lance,” Keith says, smiling involuntarily. “They’re _Wosqnians_.”

“They’re totally centaurs.”

“Right, don’t tell them that. From what I heard, they’re pretty proud and arrogant. Wouldn’t want you to offend them.”

The two have finally started to walk out as well, possibly remembering that the dress code for the evening definitely does not include sweatpants, T-shirts or slippers.

Lance rolls his eyes, throwing Keith a smirk. “You know I’m not going to offend them. I’m way too charming.”

“Whatever, we’ll see who’s charming when you’re wearing clothes picked out _by Coran_.”

 

Lance, it turns out, is still charming. His tunic is a sparkling turquoise, longer than Keith’s, so long that it could as well be a dress, and an equally sparkly white scarf is wrapped loosely around his neck. He’s wearing skin-tight, white pants underneath, ankles bare to show off a golden anklet, small ballet shoes on his feet. He smirks playfully and pretends to flip his hair, the motion rattling the gold around his wrists. Only then does Keith notice the slight sparkle in Lance’s hair, too.

“How do I look?” he asks, in that joking way he always does.

Keith swallows, clears his throat once. Twice. Laughs awkwardly. “We have to hurry,” he says, adjusting his black vest. His own outfit is much more simple; some loose, not-quite-dress-pants with a red tank top and a vest. He is just as covered in fancy jewellery as Lance, a band of something resembling diamonds wrapped around his upper arm, fake earrings that go up his left ear in a neat line and a thin choker-like necklace. His hair rests in a loose ponytail at his neck, bangs pushed back by a thin hairband.

Apparently the Wosqnians like jewelry.

The team walks up to the castle doors, ready to be greeted by their potential allies.

“I expect everyone to be at their best behavior,” Allura says, turning to give Lance and Keith a meaningful look. “The Wosqnians would be very beneficial for us. If they decide to work with us, their planet could become home to refugees.”

“It’s a very large planet,” Coran steps in. “Do not get lost! Lastly, be careful about your body language. Remember what I told you about the meaning of different gestures.”

“You been here before, Coran?” Lance asks.

“Oh yes! I was quite young, actually…”

Coran begins to tell a story, one that Lance looks happy to listen to, while Keith goes through an internal freak-out about Coran’s warning. What gestures did he have to avoid? Was it waving? Or handshakes? Both?

When they finally land and the doors open, Keith subtly hides himself behind Lance’s shoulder. If they both just keep their hands to their sides and go along with Coran and Allura, everything should be fine.

The aliens gathered around their ship do, in fact, look exactly like centaurs. The only difference is that the fur on their lower body is white and thick like a hairy dog’s and it glimmers in the light. There’s more hair on the tops of their heads, very similar to human hair. The parts of their body not covered in fur are dark brown - the contrast is really quite beautiful. Everything about them is elegant. Keith notices that the Wosqnians vary in size and shape, and as he looks further he even notices a variety of skin and fur colors.

“Welcome, Voltron,” says the Wosqnian standing at the front of the crowd. Their voice is very deep. “My name is Drasga. I will be escorting you to the Wise after you greet the ones who have come to welcome you.” They point to the large crowd behind them.

Allura smiles kindly as Keith takes a glance at the feather-light snow on the ground. He doesn’t know if the word “snow” can be used here, but the puffy flakes falling from the sky are white and feel cold to the touch, so he classifies it as snow. The texture is closer to dust with how light it is. Keith can see Lance catching flakes on his palm, eyes wide in wonder. His chest tightens a little, so he looks back at Drasga.

“Thank you for the warm welcome,” Allura says. Everyone is respectfully quiet, like they have been the whole time. Keith kind of prefers it that way. “I am princess Allura of Altea. We, team Voltron, want to offer your people our help and protection. We hope that by the end of our visit you have granted us permission to do so. We do not want much in return; if you want to assist us with the war, you can do so voluntarily. We also need homes for refugees whose planets’ have been destroyed during this trying time, which your beautiful planet would be perfect for. Do remember that we will not force you to cooperate, we do not do things Zarkon’s way. Thank you for having us here, it is a great honor.”

“Do you have any special needs for your visit?” Drasga asks.

“We have all we need in the castle, but we would love to be able to explore your wonderful planet when we have time.”

“Of course. Now, follow me, Voltron. We want you to meet our Wise.”

The crowd makes way for the team as they follow Drasga across the clearing. Lance aligns his steps with Keith’s, bumping his shoulder gently.

“Why did Allura just spill what we wanted right away? Isn’t that weird?”

Shiro chimes in before Keith can even throw a guess. “Were you two not listening again? The Wosqnians value straightforwardness and honesty. They want to know what you want and what’s going to happen.”

Lance nods, looking sheepish. “Thanks, Shiro.”

“You know it’s hard to take it all in when we have to learn everything thirty minutes before the visit,” Keith says in defence.

“I know,” Shiro says, offering a sympathetic smile. “Try to go along with what you remember and ask Allura if you’re unsure. And remember, careful with the hand gestures.”

Shiro walks up to Coran and Allura before either has the time to ask him to be more specific about the hand gesture thing.

“Not going to lie, I’m a little nervous,” Lance says quietly. “I always wave my hands around! I’m doing it right now!”

“We’ll be fine. Let’s try not to draw attention to ourselves, okay? Be cool.”

“Right. Cool. Got it.”

Hunk and Pidge slow down to talk to Lance and Keith, teasing them about being scolded by Shiro. Keith isn’t listening; he observes the surrounding whiteness and glimmering surfaces, subtly trying to get a good look at the Wosqnians themselves as well. The more they walk, the more people he sees. They are all unique and beautiful, straight out of a fantasy world. Keith can see the pride Pidge was talking about, but he doesn’t think it’s a bad kind of pride. It’s confidence and self-assurance.

They finally arrive at a door against a hillside and follow Drasga inside, where a steep staircase leads them underground.

“Well, this is creepy,” Lance mumbles.

“Yeah, correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s usually a castle? Or some kind of a pretty building?” Hunk says anxiously.

“Not every planet is the same,” Keith says. “Calm down.”

“This place has been like a winter wonderland so far. Maybe it won’t be that bad,” Pidge says distractedly, fiddling with her equipment - most likely finding out things about the air on the planet and things like that. Or she just might be watching an Altean tv show on that tiny screen of hers. Who knows these days.

“Your planet is truly beautiful,” Keith hears Allura say to Drasga. “I have only heard stories, but to finally see it myself is a great honor.”

“Thank you, princess,” Drasga says. “We have been waiting for you to visit us.”

They reach the bottom of the stairs and step through another door, this one much thicker and heavier than the last one. It bangs loudly when it slams shut after them. Keith expected the cave to be decorated with fairy dust or whatever it is that makes everything so goddamn shiny, but it’s dark and eerie, like any creepy underground room. The light in the wide space comes from the tiny bug-like creatures that emit a golden glow as they hover in place.

“Fireflies!” Lance gasps, keeping his voice down as not to interrupt Drasga and Allura’s conversation. “Keith, they have fireflies!”

“Yeah, Lance. I can see that.”

Lance leans closer, his mouth right to Keith’s ear, when he whispers: “You would not believe your eyes --”

Keith snorts much louder than he was supposed to, really he wasn’t supposed to make any noise at all, and shoves Lance away from his ear to keep him from continuing. Their team and Drasga, along with the other Wosqnians in the room, immediately turn to look at them. On cue they both straighten their backs, hands at their sides, trying to look casual. The looks Allura and Shiro shoot them from across the room scream murder.

“Are you quite alright?” a new Wosqnian asks, this one smaller with ice blue skin. They are looking straight at Keith.

“Yes,” Keith responds curtly. “Apologies. Just, um, something stuck in my throat.”

“Are you certain that your paladin is not ill?” the Wosqnian asks, this time looking at Allura.

She puts on a careless smile. “Yes, this is normal behavior for humans. He is completely fine and means no disrespect.”

“Ah, I see.”

They start to walk across the room, and Keith has the urge to scold Lance for humiliating him, but Lance is whispering in his ear again before he can even open his mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

Keith glances at him and notices that Lance actually feels bad. He waves his hand, trying to ignore Drasga’s eyes on them. “Shut it, it was funny.”

The way Lance’s eyes brighten and his lips turn up into a grin makes Keith’s insides twist. He tries to smother the tingling nervousness that Lance’s smile gives him, especially when he’s up close like this, but it’s pointless. He’s starting to think that there’s no getting rid of it, at least not anytime soon.

“Our Wise is in this room,” Drasga says, gesturing at the double doors they have stopped in front of. “Behave.” They glance at Keith, who looks away in shame.

“Thank you for escorting us, Drasga,” Shiro says with all the politeness and respect in the world.

“You are very welcome. My partner Ycie will escort you back, as I have other matters to attend to.” They nod their head towards the blue Wosqnian, who nods at the team in confirmation before waving their hand at Drasga in what looks like a dismissing motion. Drasga’s lips turn up, though, and they dismiss them back. Right. Different hand gestures.

Drasga finally pushes open the doors and steps aside to let the team enter.

The room is lit up in soft purple. Keith resists the urge to gasp as he takes in the crystals on the walls and ceiling, noticing that Lance is just as awestruck. A Wosqnian with almost pitch black skin and stark white, glimmering fur stands in the middle of the room. It takes a while for Keith to notice that they do not have eyes, only sockets where eyes would be.

“Welcome, Voltron,” the Wise says. “I see you want to work with Wosqnia.”

“Indeed, your Majesty,” Coran says. “Voltron would very much appreciate your assistance.”

The Wise cocks their head, as if listening to something. “You want us to give homes to refugees?”

Keith is confused - he didn’t think the Wise was there when they landed. He turns to Lance to see that the other has already turned to look at him.

“Dude...Do they read minds?” Lance whispers.

“No, Blue Paladin,” the Wise says. “I read intentions, wants. I know what each one of you want from me and your teammates.”

Lance gulps, most likely freaking out over how they knew he was the Blue Paladin. Allura glares at him, making Keith think that she already talked about this, they just weren’t listening.

“I know that none of you have ill wishes,” the Wise continues. “But I am surprised to find that you have a Galra among you.”

“Your Majesty, if I may,” Lance says, surprising Keith. “Keith is a valuable part of our team, Galra or not. As far as I know, he’s just Keith. He wants to help just like the rest of us do. Don’t judge a book by its cover and all that.”

The Wise smiles an odd kind of smile, and Keith holds his breath. Allura looks like she’s about to apologize in Lance’s behalf when the Wise speaks again.

“Thank you, Blue Paladin. I was not going to judge your friend, I was merely taken aback. I have not met a good Galra in a long time. But I respect how protective you are of the Red Paladin. I can see that you want to --”

Lance lets out a loud, awkward laugh. “Right! Cool! Shouldn’t we just, um, get to talking about the alliance?”

The Wise hums. “Ah, I see. He does not know? Very well, then. You are right, Blue Paladin.”

Keith has never been more confused; the Wise looks knowing, while Lance has crossed his arms over his chest, his cheeks tinted pink. Hunk looks sympathetic, and Pidge seems to be just as confused as Keith.

This is going to be an overwhelming visit.

 

They are at a ball.

The ballroom itself is beautiful, just like the rest of the planet, shiny and bright. The royal family (the one that Keith didn’t know about - he had assumed that the Wise was the closest thing to royalty they had) is standing behind a festive arch at the front of the room, enjoying drinks and talking to guests who have been let past the guards watching over them.

Keith leans against the back wall, as is his usual tactic, scanning the room for anything suspicious. He has a tendency to be untrusting, even though the Wosqnians seem to have their heart in the right place. He has a hard time trusting perfection and pristinity. Memories come back to him without even trying; the greatness of the Garrison and how full of opportunities it seemed to be before they sent his brother away and lied about what happened to him. How good his first foster home seemed, the kindness and protectiveness that kept him calm before the first screaming match and slap to the cheek. How --

“Lighten up, would you?” Lance says, having suddenly appeared beside him.

Keith tries to relax his shoulders, but says nothing.

“How are you liking it so far?” Lance asks.

“It’s...pretty. The Wosqnians seem like good people.”

“Yeah! They’re a bit creepy, though, I feel like they know things about me. Especially the Wise. I know they said they can read intentions, but somehow they knew that I’m the Blue Paladin and that you’re part Galra...It was so weird. Can they all do that?”

“I don’t think so,” Keith says. “Allura had to tell them what we wanted when we arrived.”

Lance is quiet for a moment, and Keith can feel his eyes on him.

“Want to try this drink with me?” he finally asks, thrusting a glass full of golden liquid with two straws under Keith’s nose. “Pidge stuck a device in there and said that it’s safe for us, so...it should be fine?”

The liquid looks heavy, almost like a smoothie, but when Keith stirs it with the straw experimentally, it feels light like water. He looks up at Lance’s face, all grins and shiny eyes, and feels all of his doubts and fears melting away for the time being. The feeling of unsafety lifts off his shoulders, and he feels like he can smile again. So he does.

“Okay. On the count of three…”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

They both lean down to take a sip from the straws, heads nudging each other in the process, and Keith tries not to think about how close their faces are. He doesn’t have to try too hard, though, when the taste hits his senses and fills his mouth completely, even though he only took a little sip. It tingles in his mouth and tastes the way paint smells, but slightly watered down and with added sugar and salt. He backs away from the drink, sputtering, trying to get the taste out of his mouth. Lance’s reaction is similar, almost dropping the glass.

“Aaah! That was a mistake!” Lance yells, sticking his tongue out as if that would help.

Keith snorts despite the disgusting taste. “Your tongue is all yellow.”

“So is yours! How is it so strong? I only took a little bit,” Lance complains.

The drink is declared a disgrace (Lance’s words, not Keith’s), and Lance subtly places it on a nearby table to avoid having to keep holding it. “Right, never drinking that again.”

“Good call,” Keith says, smiling (god knows why).

“Hey guys!” A smiling Hunk approaches them, waving his hand. Lance grins back enthusiastically.

“Buddy! What have you been up to?”

“I’ve been talking to these people. They’re really nice! I think Coran made them sound way more egotistical than they actually are,” Hunk says. “I talked to a couple of the younger ones, I think, and they’re so much fun! They told me about their technology and what all the drinks here are made of --”

“Great, then could you please explain what the ever-loving fuck is in that golden drink? Keith and I tried it, it was the worst!”

Hunk giggles. “It comes from a plant whose name loosely translates to ‘divinity’. It’s kind of an energy drink, actually, they drink it before battles and long journeys. But it’s also for celebrations, since they make it easier to party all night. They drink it a lot, apparently.”

Keith cringes at the thought of consuming any more of the drink. Lance gags.

“Did you try it?” Lance asks Hunk. “Because you definitely shouldn’t. Stay away from it, for your own health.”

“Was it really that bad?”

“Oh yeah,” Keith says.

“Well, don’t tell anyone that. They may not be egotistical, but they sure are proud of everything they do,” Hunk says.

 

The ball goes on for a long, long time, and Keith stoops as low as to consider drinking the disgusting golden drink just to stay awake. The bright lights are starting to give him a headache and all he wants is to curl up in bed and pass out. To his dismay, Allura - who also looks to be on the verge of falling asleep - announces the team that the guards finally trust them enough to let them meet the royal family.

“Remember, the royal family represents the people. Their opinion, just like the Wise’s, is important to everyone. We have to make a good impression. I trust you all to behave. And,” she looks at Lance and Keith, pointing an accusing finger at them, “no slip-ups this time. You two have managed to slither your way out of trouble so far, but I do not want to know what happens if you fail. Do not speak. Not to the royals, and _definitely_ not to each other.”

“Yes, princess,” they respond in unison.

The team walks across the ballroom to the archway, and Allura speaks to the guards briefly, most likely telling them what they want. Drasga is there, too, having arrived to the ball just a while ago with Ycie.

“Alright, we can do one interaction without messing it up, right?” Lance whispers.

Keith rolls his eyes. “I sure hope so, I don’t want to deal with Allura’s wrath.”

“Ugh, me neither.” Lance shudders. “Okay, we can do this. We’re a good team. High-five?”

Everything happens so quickly that Keith barely has time to process it; one moment he is raising his hand to meet Lance’s while Pidge is whispering a harsh “no” for reasons Keith is unaware of, and the next a member of the royal family rises from their resting position on a fancy pillow and gasps in delight, hands on their cheeks.

“A wedding! You want to have a wedding, here on Wosqnia? Is that what you came to tell us?”

Keith and Lance look at each other in confusion, then glance behind them to find who they are talking about. Everyone seems to have frozen.

“Excuse me?” Lance dares to ask.

“I saw you two,” the royal Wosqnian says, smiling brightly. “You made a wedding promise! This is wonderful! We would absolutely love to hold a wedding to the Paladins of Voltron! That is such a great idea, I think it will please our people greatly.”

Keith is horrified, his stomach twisting unpleasantly. He is so, so tired, everything feels like a strange dream, Allura is going to kill them, they should’ve paid more attention when they talked about gestures --

“Coran, is my translator malfunctioning or did they say what I thought they said?” Lance whispers.

“There is nothing wrong with your translator,” Coran responds, to both Keith and Lance’s horror.

“Yes!” Allura exclaims, sending a particular smile to Lance and Keith. “Our two paladins are so deeply in love and have been waiting for the right moment to get married. When they saw Wosqnia, they immediately wanted to hold the wedding here, on your gorgeous planet.”

“You did not mention this when you told us what you wanted to tell the royal family,” one of the guards says.

“Ah, we simply did not know they wanted to tell you right away,” Coran steps in. “They are so eager! Oh, young love…”

Lance and Keith are furiously avoiding each other’s eyes, staring at their toes. Keith’s face is burning with embarrassment.

“I did sense that they were lovers,” Drasga says. “They have been very close this whole time, and I saw the Red Paladin perform a loving gesture towards the Blue Paladin before Voltron met the Wise.”

“I did _what_?” Keith whispers frantically.

“Dude,” Pidge grabs his shoulder. “Remember when Drasga waved their hand at Ycie in the cave? You did that to Lance. To them, that’s like blowing a kiss. And now you’ve high-fived, which on Wosqnia symbolizes true love, happy ever after and all that jazz. It’s announcing to everyone that you’re going to be together forever.”

“Fuck,” Lance says quietly, having also listened to Pidge’s explanation. “What do we do?”

“There’s nothing you _can_ do,” Pidge whispers. “You have to go through with the wedding.”

 

“I am very disappointed,” Shiro says. “When Allura and Coran brief you on things, you’re expected to listen and try to remember as much as possible. Not joke around while everyone else listens. If you don’t remember something, ask to make sure. You should not follow along blindly, you have to know what you’re doing. You know that I’m glad that you two get along nowadays, but I didn’t think I would have to scold you for not listening to an extremely important briefing. Allura told you multiple times to behave, and you did the opposite. Lance, I know you were talking to Keith --”

“Shiro, stop,” Keith says harshly. “If you try to blame this on Lance, we’re out. We’re both equally guilty. Lecture us all you want, just don’t try and tell us that this all happened because of Lance. It didn’t.”

He feels a feather-light touch on the back of his hand, so light and brief that he almost misses it.

“Yes, I know. I wasn’t going to blame you, Lance,” Shiro says, then sighs. “Right, we’re all tried. Everyone else has gone to bed a long time ago, you should too.”

Lance and Keith nod curtly.

“We’ll discuss the wedding tomorrow with the royal family. It’s just something we have to do now. Gladly they seem to really like the idea. So. Just think of it as another mission, okay?”

They nod again. Shiro can never stay mad for too long, so he squeezes both of their shoulders before he leaves the hangar. Lance and Keith are alone for the first time after the party and Keith doesn’t know what to say. He is completely exhausted, limbs heavy and eyelids closing on their own, but he feels like he has to talk to Lance.

“Well, guess we’re getting married then,” he says awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck.

“Yeah...Look, I’m sorry. I mean, thank you for defending me and everything, but it really was my fault. I kept bothering you and I even started the high-five, I should’ve just kept quiet. So. I’m really sorry that you have to go through this...humiliation because of me.”

Keith frowns. “What? Lance, you can’t blame yourself for this. I was misbehaving just as much as you. We’re both responsible.”

Lance nods, but stays quiet.

Keith’s brain feels fuzzy with exhaustion. “We should, um, go to sleep. Like Shiro said.”

“Yeah, you’re right. You go ahead,” Lance says. He sounds just as tired, but makes no move to walk to his room.

Keith is torn between staying with Lance, forcibly dragging him to bed, and leaving him alone. In the end he decides to go with the third option, partly because he is so incredibly tired that he can barely stand, but also because he really doesn’t know what he should do, what Lance would want him to do.

“Okay. Goodnight,” he says quietly, then clears his throat. “Go to sleep soon, though.”

“I will. Goodnight, Keith.”

 

The next morning is awkward.

Allura is still angry. Lance tries to make her laugh with jokes that usually work, but fails miserably. No one can salvage the situation, not even Shiro who says something about teamwork and pats Keith and Lance on the shoulders again. Coran tries to go along, but all in all, it’s tense. And awkward.

They have, of course, tried to apologize, but Allura made a point of turning around and acting as if they were invisible, so they aborted the mission.

“She’ll come around,” Lance says. “We weren’t taking her seriously and were being totally disrespectful, I think it’s fair to say that we deserve a little silent treatment.”

“Yeah.”

They meet the royal family at their home after breakfast. Keith tries to remember the name of each person, but he only remembers the young one, Solothy, who saw the high-five the previous night. They’re short and stocky with long, long hair and bronze skin. It’s hard to admit, but they are genuinely a nice person. They all are.

“Good morning, it’s so good to see you again. Please, have a seat.” Solothy points to a row of what look like gigantic bean bags. Everyone sits down hesitantly before Solothy does the same, smiling warmly.

“So, you want to have a Wosqnian wedding?”

“That’s right. They would like to know more about your wedding traditions here on Wosqnia,” Shiro says. “We haven’t had the chance to look into it.”

“Oh, of course!” Solothy claps their hands together. “The wedding is always arranged as soon as possible, since we like to get straight to the point. We were wondering if tomorrow would work for you?”

Keith and Lance nod tentatively, assuming that all they can do is go along with whatever the Wosqnians suggest.

“Wonderful! The ceremony itself has a lot of elements that you can change around if you wish. For example, some lovers like to seal the marriage with a kiss, while some would prefer not to. The ceremony starts with the Wise officially announcing that the intentions of each person is pure. The lovers hold hands at the front of the room as the Wise says a few words - you never know what they are going to say, they always say what they know is going to help _you_ specifically. They then present you with amulets of peace, honesty, and loyalty, qualities that the Wosqnians value in a relationship. That is when the marriage is sealed, by a kiss or something else if you’d like.

“When you have been given your amulets, a friend can hold them for you while you each deliver a speech. This part is important; the speech is a spontaneous, unrehearsed declaration of love!” Solothy claps in excitement. “I know, how romantic! What you say is mostly up to you, the point is that it comes from the heart. After that, the official part is over and you can drink rinqwa and party for the rest of the night!”

Lance leans closer to Hunk. “Is rinqwa the drink --”

“Yup.”

“Thought so.”

Solothy is still smiling, looking straight at Keith and Lance. “So, what do you think?”

They give each other awkward glances, and Lance tries for a smile. “Sure, sounds wonderful. We would love to talk about our love for each other and all that jazz.”

“Great! So it’s settled! I will gather my best planning team right away. The Wise needs to be informed. I think the ceremony should be held in our royal garden with our citizens! You don’t need to worry about doing anything, I will make sure that everything is ready by tomorrow!”

“Right,” Lance says.

“Right,” Keith says.

 

“Can we talk?”

Keith’s stomach lurches uncomfortably. “Sure. What’s up? Is it about the wedding?”

The common room is empty for once, with most of the team out and about shopping or exploring, which is why Keith is lounging on the couch instead of resting in his room. He thought Lance had gone out, too, but here he is, standing in front of Keith with his hands behind his back.

“Uh...Kind of?”

Keith nods. “Well, sit down, at least.”

“Right.” Lance chuckles, but it’s tense and colorless. He sits down next to Keith, knees pointed towards him. “How do you feel about all this?”

 _Terrified, vulnerable, completely exposed_.

“It’s...whatever, I guess. A bit nerve-wracking. A lot of people are coming. But we can do it, right?”

“Yeah! Totally!”

“So? What did you want to talk about?”

Lance’s eyes widen, lips pressed tightly together. “Right! So there’s something I need to tell you. It might make this even more weird, but…”

“Yes…?”

It’s a tense few seconds of Lance trying to piece together his words, and eventually he sighs in defeat before speaking again. “I just wanted to tell you not to worry about it. I know it’s awkward, but it doesn’t mean anything and it’s all just another mission. Right?”

The reality of Lance’s statement sinks in, hits Keith’s stomach like a pile of bricks. “Right.”

“Right.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah.”

“...Right.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG  
> honestly for a bit i forgot that i still had to finish this  
> but i hope it was worth the wait!

That night Keith tosses and turns in his bed, pajamas getting tangled around his legs and hair ending up in his mouth. Everything feels off. He’s getting married tomorrow. It’s just a mission. Just a mission. That includes getting married to the person he’s in love with. No big deal.

He startles at the knock on his door and bolts upright before pressing the button next to his bed. Half hoping it would be Lance, Keith feels only a little disappointed to see Shiro standing at the entrance.

“Were you sleeping?” Shiro asks gently.

“No. Wasn’t able to.”

“I figured. Can I sit?”

Keith makes room for Shiro on the bed, combing his hand through his hair. He knows what’s coming; Shiro’s been listening to his Lance-related complaints for months now and a little bit at the Garrison.

“So, any thoughts on tomorrow?” Shiro asks, leaning back against the wall. He knows exactly how to open the floodgates.

“I’m afraid that he’ll find out,” Keith says. “I’m afraid that the Wise will see that he doesn’t love me and the Wosqnians kick us out of their planet and ruin everything. I’m afraid of the speech. I’m afraid of entertaining the thought that Lance and I are together when I know that we’re not. It’s all a huge mess, Shiro. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“I know.” Shiro sighs and places a hand on Keith’s head and ruffles his hair. “But you’re doing that thing where you think you know exactly what’s going to happen and stress yourself out. The thing is, you really don’t know how it’ll go. Yeah, it might be a disaster. But it’s just as likely that it’ll be underwhelmingly fine. Besides, you’re not a mind reader. You don’t know how Lance feels about you.”

“Don’t get my hopes up.”

“I’m not. It’s a fact. You don’t know how this is going to go, so stop acting like you do. You need to take this one thing at a time. Right now, all you need to do is try your best to sleep. We’ll go from there.”

Keith groans and flops back on the bed, head nearly hitting the back wall. “I hate this. I don’t know how to do one thing at a time. What am I supposed to do, count sheep?”

“You could. Or you could count your breaths. Inhale for five seconds, hold four, exhale seven.”

Keith tries the technique, keeping his hand on his stomach to feel the rise and fall. “Hey, this is the same thing you tell me to do when I have a panic attack.”

“Yep. I know you’re not having one right now, but if you keep freaking out like this, you just might. Also, it gives you something to focus on.”

“Thanks, Shiro.”

 

Solothy is explaining the ceremony once more, speaking so fast that Keith finds it hard to follow. The ceremony hall is currently being decorated around them as Solothy points where things take place. The decorations are admittedly gorgeous, but Keith doesn’t have it in him to look into them more. His eyelids feel heavy from sleep deprivation - that he used to be fine with, but since he’s recently been sleeping better he can feel a difference - and all he wants to do is curl up in bed and daydream about Lance. At least in his daydreams everything isn’t so confusing.

“Hey, you okay, fireboy?”

Keith startles at the nickname Lance likes to use every now and then, noticing that Solothy has turned away to speak to one of the wedding planners. Lance is looking at him with concern. “Yeah. Why?”

“You seem tired.”

“I didn’t sleep that well. I guess I am a little nervous.”

Lance smiles shyly, and it’s so warm and comforting that Keith’s shoulders feel a little less weighed down. “Me too.”

“It’ll be okay,” Keith says, suddenly wanting to make Lance feel confident again. “We’ll laugh about this later, right?”

“Yeah.” A grin rises on Lance’s face. “This will be fine.”

They still haven’t talked about the fact that the Wise will be able to read their intentions and possibly other things, too (since none of them really knows the extent of the Wise’s powers). Keith knows he should bring it up, but he doesn’t know how. His biggest concern isn’t even the Wise reading him, since it’s possible that his feelings for Lance will be enough to satisfy them. Lance, on the other hand…

“Hey Keith, look! There’s a chocolate fountain! You think I can stick my tongue in it without anyone noticing?”

Keith is shaken from his thoughts once again. He smiles, but tries to hide it with a cough. “That doesn’t sound like a great idea.”

“Are you kidding? It’s the best idea.”

“Well, do it then.”

“Cover for me!”

Lance sprints to the other side of the room, light on his feet to avoid being noticed, and makes eye contact with Keith as he sticks his tongue out and dips it into the melted chocolate. His eyes flutter dramatically, and he goes in for another lick while Keith tries to hold in his chuckles. The wedding planners seem too engrossed in their conversation to notice anything, which is a relief. If Lance got caught, Keith would most likely start laughing and be unable to stop. Talk about unprofessional.

Lance bounces back to him, grinning proudly. “See? I did it. Do I get a reward?”

Keith shrugs, an amused smile on his lips. “What could I possibly give you?”

The look on Lance’s face softens at the edges, leaving him with a smile that gives Keith whiplash. “Your smile is enough.”

Before Keith can even react, Solothy calls them over to talk about food and drinks. Lance doesn’t look at Keith for a while after that.

 

Keith can feel the nervous energy radiating from Lance as they stand behind the closed curtains, waiting for their dramatic entrance. It’s like they’re actors in a play, and Keith thinks that it might not be that far off. He’s buzzing with nerves himself, hands clasped together behind his back in a hold that locks his body up, drawn tight like a string. Lance is the opposite, hands going from his hair to the front of his suit, fiddling with the sparkly tie wrapped around his neck, tucking his shirt into his pants, dragging his hands down his face.

Keith relaxes his posture to reach his hand out, going for Lance’s shoulder but ending up resting partly on his collarbone. His skin feels warm.

“It’s going to be okay,” Keith says, more to Lance’s throat than his face. “We’ve been through worse than this, remember?”

Lance smiles. “You’re right. This isn’t even close to being the most nerve-wracking thing we’ve experienced.” He looks down for a moment, leaning into Keith’s touch slightly. “I’m not nervous because of that. I’m nervous because this feels like a real wedding. I know none of this is actually real, it just -- it feels like it is. Like I’m actually getting married to you.”

Keith opens his mouth and lets his lips stay parted without a sound leaving them. He looks at the hand on Lance’s shoulder, brushes his index finger against the bare skin under Lance’s collar. Lance is wearing a light blue suit with a silver, glitter-coated tie and decorative sparkles scattered under his eyes and across his nose. Keith refused to have his face touched, but his suit is identical to Lance’s, except that it’s red, a cheesy way to represent their paladin colors.

“Keith, I --”

The curtain opens before Lance can finish, and bright lights blind Keith’s vision. He can barely make out the crowd of Wosqnians gathered in the hall. Lance grabs his hand.

“Let’s give a warm welcome to our lovely couple of the night, Lance and Keith of Voltron!” an unfamiliar Wosqnian announces in a TV-presenter voice and steps aside to let them walk to the front of the stage.

Keith can feel the tension rising in his stomach, but tries his best to plaster a joyous smile on his face. He’s never been good at acting, but he doesn’t really have to act in order to look happy about the thought of marrying Lance.

Allura is sitting in the front row along with the rest of the team, and the guilt of making a mess of things creep back on Keith. He knows the only reason she is angry is because she cares so much; she wants everything to go as planned so that they can eventually survive the war. She wants the best for all of them, and the mission is important, Keith knows that. He and Lance need to make up for stressing their friend out like this, be the perfect couple, even if Lance doesn’t love him back. Keith squeezes Lance’s hand.

The first part of the ceremony is the one where the Wise announces their honesty. They walk to stand to Lance’s left, laying a hand on his shoulder in an almost fatherly way. The smile on their face is knowing, but Keith has no way of telling how much they truly know.

“Dear guests,” the Wise says. “The blue paladin is sincere.”

Keith heaves out a sigh of relief. How Lance managed to convince this all-knowing being, Keith has no idea, but he squeezes his hand again as a thanks.

The Wise moves to stand next to Keith, doing the same to him. He hopes that no one can see the tension in his jaw, or the way he can’t resist nervously glancing at the Wise standing so close to him. The hand on his shoulder feels ice cold, and Keith has a feeling that they don’t actually need it there to tell his intentions - maybe it’s only a tradition.

The Wise smiles again. “The red paladin is sincere,” they say in that steady voice.

Keith has to physically restrain himself from sagging his shoulders in immense relief. It’s not over, but at least one of the scary parts is done. The speech is looming in the back of Keith’s mind, but he forces himself to focus on the present; just like Shiro always tells him to.

To deliver a speech of their own, the Wise moves to stand behind Lance and Keith, now one hand on each paladin’s shoulder. Not seeing them makes Keith nervous again, but Lance leans in just a little bit closer, as if sensing it.

It might be crazy, but Keith feels kind of lucky to get to fake marry Lance.

“You both want the best for each other,” the Wise says. “But I think sometimes you forget to tell each other that.”

Keith looks everywhere but Lance, playing it off as looking at his friends in the crowd.

“Honesty,” the hairs at the back of Keith’s neck stand up, “is something we value in our home. It is something you should think about more carefully, as well. Communication is a step closer to acceptance.”

It’s then that Keith and Lance realize something at the same time; the Wise _knows_.

“You never know what might come out of an honest conversation...or a heartfelt confession. Do not scare yourselves by expecting the worst; most of the time, honesty is met with kindness. Even if you have made a mistake.”

Lance and Keith look at each other, shoulders tense. The Wise doesn’t sound angry, but Keith knows better than to trust blindly. He stays on guard, waiting for a punishment.

But it doesn’t come. The Wise steps back, ready to present them with their symbolic amulets. The whole room stays respectfully silent as the Wise hands Keith and Lance three matching amulets, one by one.

“Honesty,” they say, holding the amulets up to the crowd before giving them to their respective owners.

The amulet of honesty is small and dark green, heavier than Keith imagined it would be.

“Peace,” the Wise announces next.

The amulet of peace is blue with delicate silver linings.

“Loyalty.”

The amulet of loyalty is a darker and richer blue than the amulet of peace, the surface glimmering just a little.

Keith can see Lance inspecting his own amulets in awe. He has to stop himself from dwelling on how cute Lance looks, mouth open in quiet shock. And it’s mostly because he knows what will come next - the hug they agreed would seal their marriage, after which it’ll be time for the speeches. The moment he has been dreading all day.

After they have both handed their amulets to the Wosqnians standing at the sides of the stage, Lance turns to Keith, smiling shyly when he steps forward for the hug. They have hugged before, but somehow it feels much more tense with a crowd watching your every move. Not to mention the detail that this is their _marriage_ they’re currently sealing. Lance squeezes Keith’s shoulders, his hold comforting, and Keith tightens his grip on Lance’s waist in return. He thinks Lance may be saying something in his ear, but before he can ask him to repeat himself, Lance is backing away.

Keith’s speech is first. He is given no explanation as the Wise gently shoves him forward on the stage, nodding at him knowingly. He doesn’t know why he, specifically, has to do this first. His stomach dips uncomfortably.

Keith isn’t sure how long he’s supposed to speak for or what he should say to satisfy the Wosqnians. There were no instructions given, and this is the sort of thing that Lance excels at; improvising in a clever way, being charming, not showing the least bit of hesitation or doubt in himself. Keith wishes Lance could go before him, but everyone is staring up at Keith expectantly. Including Lance.

“Uh, hey everyone,” Keith says, shuffling awkwardly. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands.

Hunk gives him a supportive thumbs-up from the front row.

“I don’t really know where to begin with Lance, to be honest,” he says, taking a deep breath.

He lets himself fully feel everything for once, without barriers of shame or embarrassment. The Wise must know they are lying, the least he can do is be honest now. A part of him also thinks that Lance deserves to know how highly he thinks of him. How much he truly cares. He turns his body more towards Lance, eyes still avoiding his when he speaks to him.

“We didn’t really get along, at first. But I don’t think you realize that, even then, I wanted to get to know you better. You’ve always been...magnetic, almost. You pull people in. You’re the only person who’s made me want to reach out, connect. I don’t know if you know this, but you make everyone around you feel special. And not in a pitying way, it’s all...genuine. You make me genuinely happy.

“I remember the first proper conversation we had, just you and me, about something that wasn’t Voltron. I’d just had a nightmare, actually, and I was getting something to drink from the kitchen. You walked in, and it was like...suddenly I was okay. Because I knew you were there with me. We, uh, we sat down, and you told me about your hobbies back on Earth. It was like you somehow knew that I needed that, just someone to talk to about normal things. You made me laugh so hard I spat juice all over the table.”

Lance giggles at the memory. Keith grins.

“I, uh, think that was the night I started to fall in love with you.”

Lance’s smile falls, expression turning into something unreadable. Keith tries not to let it discourage him and keeps going, making sure to breathe in between sentences.

“I started noticing things after that...I noticed the color of your eyes, your smiles, your laughs. The more I got to know you, the more I fell in love. And I’m not saying that you’re a perfect human being, because no one is. But, to me, you are. Perfect, that is.”

Keith hears a faint sniffle and turns to see Hunk’s eyes filled with tears, a bright grin on his face. His friends are all smiling and Shiro nods at him encouragingly. Keith can’t bear to look at Lance anymore, his heart is already looking to go straight through his ribcage.

The silence is deafening. Keith never thought he would crave applause, or even booing, anything to fill the air. Why don’t Wosqnians clap?

“Thank you, Red Paladin,” the Wise says. They push Lance to step forward as Keith walks backwards, away from the center of the stage.

“Well, uh, I don’t know how I’m supposed to beat that. I thought you weren’t good with words,” Lance says, letting out a nervous laugh.

Keith clasps his hands together behind his back, trying to control the urge to run into a training room and defeat as many bots as it takes to suppress the fluttering in his chest.

“Keith, I’ve always admired you. You’re incredibly brave, determined, and skilled at pretty much everything you do. At first, I thought it had gone to your head. But it turned out that you don’t even realize how amazing you are; you’re too busy caring about the people around you and getting things done. A lot of people wouldn’t believe it, but the team and I all know that you’re so, _so_ caring. You may not always know how to show it, but you are.

“When we got to know each other better, I was _delighted_ to find out that you’re a total dork. You have an obscure sense of humor, which I don’t even get most of the time! But one of my favorite things in the world is seeing you try and hold in your laughter when you’re in the middle of telling me something funny. You usually end up cry-laughing before you even finish, and to me, that’s better than the story itself. Seeing you like that makes my heart go totally crazy. And when it’s me who causes you to laugh like that, I don’t really know what to do with myself. I feel like I’ve been given a gift from the gods or something!

“No, but seriously, you make me feel like that a lot. I don’t think I can pinpoint the day I started to fall in love with you, but I do remember when I first realized it. It was the day I was helping you practice your shooting...It was at the point where I stepped back to let you try it out yourself, and you did it pretty well for a beginner and turned to me all excited and asked me how it was. It all just hit me, like a train. I don’t know if you remember that day, but I found it hard to even speak properly after that. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I felt for you.

“That feeling has just grown ever since. I love everything about you. Genuinely.”

Keith stares, his heartbeat loud in his ears. Lance looks at him with all the seriousness in the world, but somehow Keith finds it hard to believe that this is anything but a way to make the wedding look convincing. A glimmer of hope warms the tips of his trembling fingers, lifting weight off his shoulders.

The ceremony is over. Somehow, it all happened so quickly, and suddenly Keith feels his stomach dropping - will the Wise confront them? Will _Lance_ confront him?

The Wosqnians smile brightly at them as they ascend the stairs at the side of the stage, holding hands. Lance looks nervous, most likely worrying about the Wise and how the rest of the night will go down, so Keith squeezes his hand reassuringly, rubs his thumb against Lance’s skin. It helps to calm himself down, as well. Especially when Lance turns to look at him, mouth quirked up in a tentative smile. Keith’s hand tingles where it touches Lance’s, heart fluttering gently.

As the Wosqnians start to rise from their seats to move to the dancefloor and help themselves to drinks, Keith and Lance’s friends all rush up to meet them, smiles bright and proud. Hunk leans down to whisper something in Lance’s ear as Shiro pats Keith’s shoulder, smiling down at him.

Allura clears her throat, and everyone quiets down to let her speak. She smiles kindly. “I’m proud of you two. And I know you’ve learned your lesson.”

Lance breaks, letting out a dramatic sob. “We’re so sorry! We weren’t messing around because we don’t care or something! We do! We care a lot!”

Allura laughs as Lance throws himself into her arms, blubbering his apologies while she pats his back. She looks over at Keith and gives him a smile as well. He breathes a sigh of relief, happy to be on good terms with Allura again.

“Yeah, we’re really sorry. We promise to be more attentive in the future and ask if we’re unsure about something,” Keith says.

“Apology accepted.”

Lance backs away from Allura, walking back to Keith with a grin on his face. “As much as I love you all, I, uh, think Keith and I need a moment to talk.”

Keith’s stomach drops.

“Go ahead, but keep in mind that the Wise is standing uncomfortably close,” Pidge points out.

Pidge is right; The Wise has left the stage they were standing on, and is now standing next to it, arms crossed expectantly. Lance gulps.

“Right. I’m pretty sure they _know_...about, you know. This whole thing being a mistake,” he whispers.

Allura nods, thoughtful. “I think so, too, but I have a feeling that they are not angry about it. After their speech, I realized that maybe we should have been honest about what happened.” She sighs. “I’m sorry, for making you do this. I thought that they would be offended by us not understanding their customs, and that making them happy with this ceremony was clearly the better option. I might have been wrong about that.”

“It’s been a learning process,” Lance says. “We don’t blame you, Allura. Diplomacy is complicated as hell.”

Their friends eventually leave the two alone, and Lance turns to look out at the dancefloor. The Wosqnians have a specific way of dancing, most of which is done by holding their partner’s other hand while the other gestures strangely. Keith looks at Lance, eyes shifting down to his collar.

“Do you want to dance?” he asks on impulse. “I mean...dance in the human way. I don’t know how to do whatever they’re doing.”

Lance smiles, seeming surprised, and Keith decides that he should surprise Lance more often. Keith takes the smile as a yes and offers a hand, the other awkwardly behind his back as he bows. He feels warmth on his outstretched hand when Lance grabs it, tingles shooting up his arm. They walk out onto the dancefloor, and Lance maneuvers them to a ‘couple-at-the-prom’ -position where his arms are around Keith’s neck, and Keith’s hands are placed on his waist. Keith thinks he’s forgotten how to breathe.

“So...about your speech,” Lance says. “That was quite impressive.”

“So was yours,” Keith says, suddenly defensive. His hands grip the fabric of Lance’s suit.

Lance laughs, airy and bright. “I don’t want to sound presumptuous, but...could it be possible, that maybe, just maybe, you meant some of it?”

“Some of it?” Keith asks. “Why only some of it?”

“I don’t know! There’s no way to tell, fireboy.”

Keith’s chest feels warm. “You should call me that more,” he says before he can stop himself.

“What, fireboy? Maybe I will. If you answer my question.” Lance grins. He doesn’t seem creeped out, and a hopeful feeling starts to bloom in Keith’s stomach, his heart suddenly in his throat. The rest of the room fades out of existence as he sighs, looks down and considers his next words.

“I did mean it. All of it.”

Lance seems to tense up in Keith’s arms, and his first instinct is to hold on tighter. His arms wind around Lance’s waist, just a little bit more, even though his heart is desperately climb out of his mouth and make a mess.

“So did I,” Lance breathes.

It should have been obvious, after all the hints Lance dropped on stage. But for some reason, the confession makes Keith dizzy, almost, suddenly afraid to look at anything but Lance’s sparkly tie. He reaches out to touch it as they sway to the music, neither of them knowing what to say.

“I love you,” Lance says, eventually.

Keith chokes on his own spit. “I - I love you, too.”

Lance’s arms pull him in, closer, until his face is pressed into Lance’s neck and he’s breathing in the scent of him. His soft hair tickles the side of his face, and Keith pushes his cheek further into it. His arms wrap around Lance, now holding him properly, the way he’s always dreamed of holding him, and it doesn’t feel real. His heart still hasn’t calmed, and he thinks that it would be a miracle if Lance didn’t feel it pounding against his chest.

“You getting shy?” Lance says, voice soft.

“I never thought this would happen,” Keith mumbles, embarrassed. “I - I don’t know what to do now.”

Lance chuckles. “Want to give me a kiss, fireboy?”

Keith’s heart explodes, he’s sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading this <3

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it!  
> I've been writing this fic for like a month and it's still not totally finished so I thought I'd publish this first part and see how you like it :D  
> I have an ongoing fic called "through the rise and fall" which I also have to update adjkhafhs I've been very busy! Trying my hardest to write every day though! Go check it out if you like my writing :D  
> Thank you for reading!! <3


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